The Soul of Remedies: Drosera septentrionalis

Drosera is a tubercular remedy. I am not sure if it should be classified as belonging to the plant or animal kingdom, because Drosera has not only the sensitivity and reactivity common to remedies of the plant kingdom, but also the persecuted feeling, violence and aggression of animal remedies. Drosera is a carnivorous plant – a plant behaving almost like an animal. I think it is difficult to obtain this plant without an insect trapped inside it, and this may be a part of the remedy prepared.

The main feeling of Drosera is that of being persecuted, deceived, trapped, choked and killed. The reaction is to be aggressive, violent, trying to get out, which is often not possible. The expression of Drosera is that even a small irritation can get the patients into a tremendous outburst of rage and the inner feeling is of being harassed, cheated, deceived. They are suspicious. Phatak’s Materia Medica mentions: “Fears being alone and is suspicious of friends. Imagines being deceived by spiteful, envious people”. In Phatak’s Repertory Drosera is mentioned under “Delusion, being deceived” along with Ruta.

Hahnemann’s Materia Medica Pura shows the following symptoms under Drosera:

• All day long, uneasiness of disposition and anxiety, full of mistrust, as if he had to do with none but false people.
• Silent and reserved, with anxiety, he always feared he was about to learn something disagreeable
• Anxiety as if his enemies would not leave him quiet, envied and persecuted him.
• He is sad and dejected about the ills of life, which people cause one another and himself, respecting which he is anxious and concerned; at the same time, want of appetite.

Thus the theme of Drosera is that of being stabbed in the back, of being deceived by one’s own friends and yet at the same time there is a great dependence on them. There is a feeling of weakness, due to which he is dependent, but at the same time, he feels his weakness is being taken advantage of. This is a typical tubercular feeling. Drosera feels harassed by others and let down by his own friends. Drosera reacts to this “oppression” violently. In rage he becomes loud, shrieking and violent. Drosera also has a suicidal inclination.

The Drosera cough too is described as “harassing” by Phatak and is accompanied by irritation, violent paroxysms.

Rubrics:

•         Anger, trifles, at.
•         Anger, violent.
•         Company, desire for.
•         Delusion, persecuted, he is.
•         Delusion, vexations and offences, of.
•         Fear, alone, of being.
•         Suicidal disposition.
•         Suspicious, mistrustful.
•         Violent, vehement.
•         Rage, fury.

Kent:

•         Cough, attacks follow one another quickly.

Phatak:

•         Dust aggravates.
•         Imaginations, being deceived.

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